How to Change a Bike Tube

If you own a bicycle and ride it regularly, it is inevitable that you will encounter a flat tire. Your bike may have a good quality tube however, Puncturing of your tire could happen at any place like on the street, on the trail or at your home in the garage. And, whenever it happens the incident will make you immobile and so extremely frustrated. However, the good news is changing a bike tube is not a complicated task and a must-have skill that every cyclist should know.

When you practice and acquire the skill of changing a bike tube, it will make you a confident rider and will also enhance your cycle repairing knowledge.

However, before starting your replacement process, pump your tires and see if they become hard. You need to determine that the soft tires did not result from a lack of air inside the inner tube.

If any of your bike tires is punctured, it is easier and quicker to replace the inner tube rather than trying to patch it up. While puncturing a bike tire is inevitable, experienced cyclists recommend that you should not wait until a puncturing incident. You need to practice and gain the skill of changing a bike tube. It is best to hone the skill at home. There are some tubes and tire combinations that are affixed firmly with each other. Disengaging them from one another is a challenge. However, your effort and perseverance will win ultimately.

When riding your bicycle it is a good practice to carry some useful things like a spare tube, tire levers, a bike pump or a carbon dioxide inflator.

Materials need to gather

• Tire levers
• Spare tube
• Pump
• Adjustable wrench 

If your tire becomes flat while riding a bike, move to a safe place with your bike. You should stay away from traffic. Flip the bike upside down and rest the bike on its seat and handlebars. When you place the bike in this way, it will free your hands for the task ahead that is replacing the inner tube.

Your first work will be removing the wheel from the bicycle frame. This would require disconnecting the axle nuts and quick-release levers. These are the things that hold the wheel in its place. If you can open the brake, it will make it easier to remove the wheel.

If you start removing the rear wheel first, transfer the chain to a smaller cog. This will make the removal and replacement of the wheel at much ease. Once you have removed the wheel, flatten the tire completely with a tire lever.

Inspect the tire closely and get rid of any debris that may still stick to the tire. If you failed to do so, your new tire would experience another new puncture.

Extract the tube which may require removing a small washer that is present on the valve stem. Examine the tube and locate the point of the puncture. Try to figure out the cause of the collapse of the tire. If there is only one hole is visible on the tube, pebbles or other road debris might cause the puncture. 

Whatever the cause of the puncture, the bottom line is the tire is useless now. So, follow the below steps to replace it.

• Pull out the old tube
• Install the new tube and finally 
• Reattach the wheel